Fiber optic device operational monitoring

ABSTRACT

A monitoring device may receive sensor information, associated with an optical device included in a high-power fiber laser, from a set of sensors associated with the optical device. The monitoring device may determine, based on the sensor information, a set of operational properties of the optical device. The set of operational properties may include: a health property that describes a health of one or more components of the optical device, a degradation property that describes degradation of one or more components of the optical device, an environmental property that describes an environment of the optical device, or a process property associated with a process in which the optical device is being used. The monitoring device may identify whether an operational property, of the set of operational properties, satisfies a condition, and may selectively perform a monitoring action based on whether the operational property satisfies the condition.

RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 62/633,890, filed on Feb. 22, 2018,the content of which is incorporated by reference herein in itsentirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to high-power fiber lasers and, moreparticularly, to operational monitoring of optical devices included inhigh-power fiber lasers.

BACKGROUND

A high-power fiber laser is a fiber laser that is capable of deliveringa relatively high output power. For example, the output power of ahigh-power fiber laser may be in a range from tens of watts to severalkilowatts. A high-power fiber laser includes one or more optical devicesthat enable the high-power fiber laser to deliver this relatively highoutput power. For example, the high-power fiber laser can include afiber optic beam combiner that receives multiple optical inputs frommultiple laser modules (e.g., via respective input fibers) and combinesthese multiple optical inputs to form an optical output in a singleoutput fiber (e.g., such that the optical power from the multipleoptical inputs is combined in the optical output).

SUMMARY

According to some implementations, a method may include: receiving, by amonitoring device, sensor information associated with an optical deviceincluded in a high-power fiber laser, wherein the sensor information isreceived from a set of sensors associated with the optical device;determining, by the monitoring device and based on the sensorinformation, a set of operational properties of the optical device,wherein the set of operational properties includes at least one of: ahealth property that describes a health of one or more components of theoptical device, a degradation property that describes degradation of oneor more components of the optical device, an environmental property thatdescribes an environment of the optical device, or a process propertyassociated with a process in which the optical device is being used;identifying, by the monitoring device, whether an operational property,of the set of operational properties, satisfies a condition; andselectively performing, by the monitoring device, a monitoring actionbased on whether the operational property satisfies the condition.

According to some implementations, a monitoring device may include oneor more processors to: receive sensor information associated with anoptical device included in a high-power fiber laser, wherein the sensorinformation is received from a set of sensors associated with theoptical device; determine, based on the sensor information, a set ofoperational properties of the optical device, wherein the set ofoperational properties includes at least one of: a health property thatdescribes a health of one of more components of the optical device, adegradation property that describes degradation of one or morecomponents of the optical device, an environmental property thatdescribes an environment of the optical device, or a process propertyassociated with a process in which the optical device is being used;identify whether an operational property, of the set of operationalproperties, satisfies a condition; and selectively perform a monitoringaction based on whether the operational property satisfies thecondition.

According to some possible implementations, a method may include:identifying, by a monitoring device, a set of monitoring functions, of aplurality of monitoring functions, to be performed by the monitoringdevice in association with monitoring an optical device included in ahigh-power fiber laser, wherein the set of monitoring functions includesat least one of: a health monitoring function associated with monitoringa health of one of more components of the optical device, a degradationmonitoring function associated with monitoring degradation of one ormore components of the optical device, an environmental monitoringfunction associated with monitoring an environment of the opticaldevice, or a process monitoring function associated with monitoring aprocess in which the optical device is operating; determining, by themonitoring device, at least one set of operational properties of theoptical device, each of the at least on set of operational propertiesbeing associated with a respective one of the identified set ofmonitoring functions; wherein the at least one set of operationalproperties is determined based on sensor information, associated withthe optical device, that is received from a set of sensors duringoperation of the optical device; and selectively performing, by themonitoring device, a monitoring action based on the at least one set ofoperational properties.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A and 1B are diagrams of an example operational monitorperforming operational monitoring of an optical device included in ahigh-power fiber laser, as described herein.

FIGS. 2A-2D are diagrams of an example associated with operationalmonitoring when the optical device included in the high-power fiberlaser is a fiber optic beam combiner.

FIG. 3 is a diagram of example components of an operational monitordescribed herein.

FIGS. 4 and 5 are flow charts of example processes for performingoperational monitoring of an optical device included in a high-powerfiber laser, as described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description of example implementations refers tothe accompanying drawings. The same reference numbers in differentdrawings may identify the same or similar elements.

A high-power fiber laser may include one or more optical devices thatenable the high-power fiber laser to provide a relatively high outputpower (e.g., at least 10 watts (W)) from a single fiber. For example, asdescribed above, a high-power fiber laser can include a fiber optic beamcombiner that receives multiple optical inputs from multiple lasermodules (e.g., via respective input fibers) and combines these multipleoptical inputs to form an optical output in a single output fiber.

Due to the high optical power of a high-power fiber laser, thepossibility of a catastrophic failure of an optical device included inthe high-power fiber laser (e.g., a failure of one or more components ofa fiber optic beam combiner) is a significant concern in high-powerfiber laser design. As a result, monitoring optical devices of thehigh-power fiber laser in order to detect and/or prevent a catastrophicfailure is important for ensuring safe and reliable operation of thehigh-power fiber laser. Additionally, an application in which ahigh-power fiber laser is used may present issues for the high-powerfiber laser. For example, back-reflection is a significant concern in ahigh-power fiber laser application, such as cutting, welding, ormaterial depositing (e.g., since high power back-reflection can causesignificant damage to components of the high-power fiber laser).Notably, back-reflection is not as significant of a concern in a lowerpower application, such as a telecommunications application.

Some implementations described herein provide an operational monitorcapable of performing one or more monitoring functions in associationwith monitoring an optical device included in a high-power fiber laser.In some implementations, the one or more monitoring functions caninclude a health monitoring function associated with monitoring a healthof one or more components of the optical device, a degradationmonitoring function associated with monitoring degradation of one ormore components of the optical device, an environmental monitoringfunction associated with monitoring an environment of the opticaldevice, and/or a process monitoring function associated with monitoringa process in which the optical device is operating.

In some implementations, when performing a given monitoring function,the operational monitor may determine a set of operational properties ofthe optical device based on sensor information that is received from aset of sensors during operation of the optical device. In someimplementations, a given sensor in the set of sensors is positioned at aparticular location, where the particular location depends on themonitoring function for which the given sensor is to be utilized. Here,by positioning the given sensor at the particular location, accuracy andreliability of the operational monitor may be achieved (i.e., theparticular location may be an optimal or near optimal location forgathering sensor information to be used for the associated monitoringfunction). Additional details regarding sensor positioning are describedbelow.

FIGS. 1A and 1B are diagrams of an example operational monitor 100performing operational monitoring of an optical device 160 included in ahigh-power fiber laser 150. As shown, operational monitor 100 may beconfigured with a set of monitoring functions including, for example, ahealth monitor 110, a degradation monitor 120, an environmental monitor130, and/or a process monitor 140. As further shown, high-power fiberlaser 150 includes optical device 160, which includes a set of opticalcomponents 170 and a set of sensor components 180. Details regarding thedevices illustrated in FIG. 1A are provided below, followed by adescription of an example process for operational monitoring performedby operational monitor 100.

Operational monitor 100 includes a device capable of performingoperational monitoring of optical device 160 included in high-powerfiber laser 150. In some implementations, operational monitor 100 mayinclude a server, a group of servers, a user device (e.g., a laptopcomputer, a handheld computer, a tablet computer, a desktop computer, asmart phone, and/or the like), and/or another type of computation andcommunication device. In some implementations, operational monitor 100includes a communication interface that allows operational monitor 100to receive information from and/or transmit information to other devicesassociated with high-power fiber laser 150, such as the set of sensorcomponents 180, a controller (not shown) associated with high-powerfiber laser 150, and/or the like.

In some implementations, performing operational monitoring may includeperforming one or more monitoring functions configured on operationalmonitor 100. As shown in FIG. 1A, the monitoring functions configured onoperational monitor 100 can include, for example, health monitor 110,degradation monitor 120, environmental monitor 130, and/or processmonitor 140. Additional details regarding these monitoring functions areprovided below with regard to FIG. 1B.

High-power fiber laser 150 includes a fiber laser that is capable ofdelivering a relatively high output power (e.g., at least 10 watts). Asshown, high-power fiber laser 150 includes optical device 160 thatenables high-power fiber laser 150 to provide this relatively highoutput power. For example, optical device 160 can include a fiber opticbeam combiner or another device included in high-power fiber laser 150.

The set of optical components 170 includes one or more opticalcomponents of optical device 160. For example, when optical device 160is a fiber optic beam combiner, the set of optical components 170 caninclude a group of input fibers, an input fiber attachment component(e.g., a glue, an epoxy, and/or the like), a tapered waveguide, anoutput fiber attachment component (e.g., a glue, an epoxy, and/or thelike), an output fiber, a housing, and/or the like. A particular exampleof optical components 170, when optical device 160 is a fiber optic beamcombiner, is described below in association with FIGS. 2A and 2B.

The set of sensor components 180 includes one or more sensors capable ofgathering sensor information, associated with optical device 160, andproviding the sensor information to operational monitor 100 (e.g., foruse in performing operational monitoring). For example, the set ofsensor components 180 may include one or more temperature sensors tomeasure a temperature at or near a particular location in optical device160 (e.g., at or near one or more of the set of optical components 170,within a housing of optical device 160, and/or the like). As anotherexample, the set of sensor components 180 may include one or more powermonitors to measure optical power associated with optical device 160. Asanother example, the set of sensor components 180 may include one ormore photodiodes to measure optical power at a particular location inoptical device 160 (e.g., scattered light at or near one or more of theset of optical components 170, back-reflected light propagating throughoptical device 160, and/or the like). As another example, the set ofsensor components 180 may include one or more stress sensors to measurestress at or near one or more of the set of optical components 170. Asanother example, the set of sensor components 180 may include one ormore cameras arranged to detect a hot spot at or near one or more of theset of optical components 170. As another example, the set of sensorcomponents 180 may include one or more humidity sensors arranged tomeasure humidity at a particular location in optical device 160 (e.g.,at or near one or more of the set of optical components 170, within thehousing of optical device 160, and/or the like).

In some implementations, a given sensor in the set of sensor components180 may be positioned at a particular location, where the particularlocation depends on the monitoring function for which the given sensoris to be utilized. In some implementations, the particular location isselected such that performance of the associated monitoring function isimproved due to the positioning of the sensor at the particularlocation. In other words, one or more of the set of sensor components180 can be positioned in an optimal or near-optimal position order toenable reliable and accurate operational monitoring (e.g., as comparedto arbitrary positioning of the sensor). An illustrative example ofpositioning of the set of sensor components 180 in a case in whichoptical device 160 is a fiber optic beam combiner is described below inassociation with FIGS. 2A and 2B.

In operation, as illustrated starting with reference number 10 in FIG.1A, operational monitor 100 may receive, from one or more of the set ofsensor components 180, sensor information associated with optical device160. The sensor information includes information associated with ameasurement performed by the one or more sensor components 180. Thesensor information can include, for example, information that identifiesa temperature at or near a particular location in optical device 160(when the set of sensor components 180 includes a temperature sensor),information that identifies an optical power associated with opticaldevice 160 (when the set of sensor components 180 includes a powermonitor), information that identifies an optical power at or near aparticular location in optical device 160 (when the set of sensorcomponents 180 includes a photodiode), information that identifies anintensity of stress at a particular location (when the set of sensorcomponents 180 includes a stress sensor), information indicating a hotspot at a particular location (when the set of sensor components 180includes a camera), information that identifies a relative humidity at aparticular location in optical device 160 (when the set of sensorcomponents 180 includes a humidity sensor), and/or the like.

In some implementations, operational monitor 100 may receive the sensorinformation based on requesting the sensor information from the one ormore sensor components 180. Additionally, or alternatively, operationalmonitor 100 may receive the sensor information based on the sensorinformation being automatically provided by the one or more sensorcomponents 180 (e.g., when the one or more sensor components 180 areconfigured to provide sensor information on a periodic basis, at aparticular time, based on a measurement threshold, and/or the like).

In some implementations, the sensor information may include informationprovided by each of the set of sensor components 180 (e.g., whenoperational monitor 100 requests sensor information from each of the setof sensor components 180, when each of the set of sensor components 180is configured to provide sensor information at a particular time, and/orthe like). Alternatively, the sensor information may include informationprovided by a subset of the set of sensor components 180. For example,when operational monitor 100 is to perform a particular monitoringfunction, operational monitor 100 may request sensor information from asubset of the set of sensor components 180 that provides sensorinformation needed to perform the particular monitoring function.

Operational monitor 100 may perform operational monitoring of opticaldevice 160 based on the sensor information. For example, operationalmonitor 100 may perform one or more of the monitoring functionsconfigured on operational monitor 100.

In some implementations, operational monitor 100 may identify a set ofmonitoring functions to be performed by operational monitor 100 from agroup of monitoring functions configured on operational monitor 100. Asan illustrative example, operational monitor 100 may be configured withfour different monitoring functions, as shown in FIG. 1A. In oneexample, operational monitor 100 identifies three of the four monitoringfunctions (e.g., health monitoring, degradation monitoring, and processmonitoring) for performance, meaning that operational monitor 100 mayperform each of the three identified monitoring functions (e.g., usinghealth monitor 110, degradation monitor 120, and process monitor 140,respectively). Operational monitor 100 then performs these threeidentified monitoring functions in association with monitoring opticaldevice 160.

In some implementations, operational monitor 100 may identify the set ofmonitoring functions based on a configuration of operational monitor100. For example, operational monitor 100 may receive (e.g., from a userdevice, from a controller, and/or the like) configuration informationthat identifies a set of monitoring functions for performance byoperational monitor 100. In some implementations, such configurationinformation can be updated (e.g., such that the set of monitoringfunctions can be modified based on further configuration). In someimplementations, the configuration information can be determined by thecontroller (e.g., when the controller is configured to identify the setof monitoring functions and provide information associated with theconfiguration to operational monitor 100). As another example,operational monitor 100 may receive the configuration information as aresult of user input to the high-power fiber laser system (e.g., via theuser device).

In some implementations, operational monitor 100 may identify the set ofmonitoring functions based on a result of a previous performance of oneor more monitoring functions. For example, operational monitor 100 mayidentify a first set of monitoring functions for performance, and mayperform the first set of monitoring functions, including determiningwhether one or more operational properties satisfy respective relevantconditions, as described below. Here, if the one or more operationalproperties satisfies the respective relevant conditions, thenoperational monitor 100 may be configured to identify a second set ofmonitoring functions for performance. In other words, upon reaching aparticular result associated with the first set of identified monitoringfunctions, operational monitor 100 may be configured to identify thesecond set of monitoring functions for a next iteration of operationalmonitoring of optical device 160. In this way, the identification of theset of monitoring functions may be dynamically updated in response to aresult of a previous operational monitoring.

As another example, operational monitor 100 may identify a first set ofmonitoring functions for performance, and may perform the first set ofmonitoring functions, as described below. Here, after performance of thefirst set of monitoring functions, operational monitor 100 may beconfigured to identify a second set of monitoring functions forperformance. In other words, after a performance of the first set ofmonitoring functions, operational monitor 100 may be configured toidentify the second set of monitoring functions for a next iteration ofoperational monitoring of optical device 160. In this way, theidentification of the set of monitoring functions may automaticallycycle through monitoring functions, which increases diversity ofoperational monitoring of optical device 160.

In some implementations, when performing the set of monitoringfunctions, operational monitor 100 may first determine a set ofoperational properties associated with optical device 160, as shown byreference number 12. An operational property includes information thatis indicative of a property of optical device 160 during operation ofhigh-power fiber laser 150. In some implementations, operational monitor100 may determine the set of operational properties based on the sensorinformation.

In some implementations, the operational property can include a healthproperty that includes information indicative of a health of one or moreof the set of optical components 170 of optical device 160.Additionally, or alternatively, the operational property can include adegradation property that includes information indicative of degradationof one or more of the set of optical components 170 of optical device160. Additionally, or alternatively, the operational property mayinclude an environmental property that includes information indicativeof an environment of optical device 160. Additionally, or alternatively,the operational property may include a process property associated witha process in which high-power fiber laser 150 is being used.Illustrative examples of these operational properties in the context ofa fiber optic beam combiner are described below.

As shown in FIG. 1A, and by reference number 14, operational monitor 100may identify whether operational properties, included in the set ofoperational properties, satisfy respective conditions. In someimplementations, a given condition is associated with a given monitoringfunction. The condition can include, for example, a threshold value fora particular operational property, a threshold range for a particularoperational property, a binary flag (e.g., true/false, yes/no,positive/negative) associated with a particular operational property,and/or the like.

In some implementations, as shown by reference number 16, operationalmonitor 100 may selectively perform a monitoring action based on whetherthe operational property satisfies the condition. For example, when theoperational property satisfies the condition, operational monitor 100may perform the monitoring action. Conversely, when the operationalproperty does not satisfy the condition, operational monitor 100 may notperform the monitoring action.

As an illustrative example, in the case of process monitoring, thecondition may be a threshold power of back-reflected light at aparticular optical component 170 of optical device 160 (e.g., at aninput fiber attachment component of a fiber optic beam combiner). Here,if a process property associated with the particular optical component170 indicates that an intensity of back-reflected light at theparticular optical component 170 satisfies the threshold power, thenoperational monitor 100 may perform an associated monitoring action.Conversely, if the process property associated with the particularoptical component 170 indicates that the intensity of back-reflectedlight at the particular optical component 170 does not satisfy thethreshold power, then operational monitor 100 may not perform theassociated monitoring action. Additional illustrative examples ofperformance of monitoring functions in the context of a fiber optic beamcombiner are described below in association with FIGS. 2A and 2B.

In some implementations, the monitoring action may include providing(e.g., to a user device and/or a controller associated with high-powerfiber laser 150) an error code indicating that the operational propertysatisfies the condition (e.g., such that an operation can be notified ofthe operational condition). Additionally, or alternatively, themonitoring action may include causing another optical device (e.g., oneor more laser modules included in high-power fiber laser 150, and/or thelike) to be powered off, causing a power level of the other opticaldevice to be adjusted (e.g., increased or decreased), and/or anothertype of action.

In some implementations, the monitoring action can be an actionassociated with adjusting or optimizing performance of high-power fiberlaser 150. As an illustrative example, in the case of environmentalmonitoring, the condition may be a threshold temperature at a particularoptical component 170 of optical device 160 (e.g., on or within ahousing of optical device 160). Here, if an environmental propertyassociated with the particular optical component 170 indicates that atemperature satisfies the threshold temperature, then operationalmonitor 100 may perform an associated monitoring action such as reducinga chiller temperature. As another example, in the case of environmentalmonitoring, the condition may be a threshold humidity at a particularoptical component 170 of optical device 160 (e.g., on or within ahousing of optical device 160). Here, if an environmental propertyassociated with the particular optical component 170 indicates that ahumidity satisfies the threshold humidity, then operational monitor 100may perform an associated monitoring action such as powering on ade-humidifier of high-power fiber laser 150.

In general, sensor information gathered by the set of sensor components180 may be utilized by operational monitor 100 in a closed-loop controlsystem that allows performance of high-power fiber laser 150 to beadjusted and/or optimized. In this way, operational monitor 100 enablesan intelligent high-power fiber laser 150.

FIG. 1B is a diagram illustrating details regarding the monitoringfunctions configured on operational monitor 100 in FIG. 1A. As describedabove, operational monitor 100 may be configured with health monitor110, degradation monitor 120, environmental monitor 130, and/or processmonitor 140, in some implementations.

Health monitor 110 includes one or more components capable of monitoringa health of one or more of the set of optical components 170. In someimplementations, health of an optical component 170 may be described bya health property in the form of a thermal slope linearity associatedwith the optical component 170. Generally, the higher the optical powerin a given optical component 170, the more light will leak (e.g., from acore to a cladding), which increases heat in and around the opticalcomponent 170. In a healthy optical component 170, the relationshipbetween temperature and optical power is approximately linear (e.g.,such that as optical power increases, the temperature increasesapproximately linearly). However, in a comparatively less healthyoptical component 170, temperature increases non-linearly (e.g.,quadratically, parabolically, exponentially, etc.) with optical power.In some implementations, the non-linearity may be caused by, forexample, contamination, the presence of OH ions, a color center, and/orthe like. Here, the non-linearity may be indicative of an unhealthyoptical component 170.

In some implementations, health monitor 110 may determine the thermalslope linearity (i.e., whether the temperature-optical powerrelationship is approximately linear) based on sensor informationincluding information that identifies a temperature at or near theoptical component 170 (e.g., provided by a temperature sensor) andinformation that identifies an optical power at the optical component170 (e.g., provided by a power monitor). In some implementations, healthmonitor 110 may determine the thermal slope linearity during acalibration process that is executed when high-power fiber laser 150 ispowered on. In some implementations, health monitor 110 may determinethe thermal slope linearity for one or more of the set of opticalcomponents 170.

In some implementations, health monitor 110 may identify whether thedetermined thermal slope linearity satisfies a linearity condition(e.g., whether the thermal slope linearity indicates that thetemperature-optical power relationship satisfies a linearity threshold),and may selectively perform the monitoring action accordingly. Aparticular example of thermal slope linearity based health monitoring byhealth monitor 110 is described below in association with FIG. 2C.

In some implementations, health of an optical component 170 may bedescribed by a health property in the form of a fiber damage/fuseproperty associated with the optical component 170. The fiberdamage/fuse property is a property indicative of a degree of damage to afiber and/or a degree of fiber fusing experienced by an opticalcomponent 170 (e.g., an input fiber or an output fiber). In someimplementations, health monitor 110 may determine the fiber damage/fuseproperty based on sensor information including information indicative ofan intensity of scattered light at or near the optical component 170(e.g., sensor information provided by a photodiode). For example,micro-cracking caused by fiber damage may result in scattered light ator near a damaged fiber, and this scattered light may be detected byphotodiode. In some implementations, health monitor 110 may determinethe fiber damage/fuse property for one or more of the set of opticalcomponents 170.

In some implementations, health monitor 110 may identify whether thedetermined fiber damage/fuse property satisfies a damage/fuse condition(e.g., whether the intensity of scattered light satisfies a threshold),and may selectively perform the monitoring action accordingly.

Degradation monitor 120 includes one or more components capable ofmonitoring a degradation of one or more of the set of optical components170. In some implementations, degradation of an optical component 170may be described by a degradation property in the form of a hot spot(e.g., an area of comparatively higher temperature) associated with theoptical component 170. A hot spot is an example of a property indicativeof a degradation experienced by an optical component 170 (e.g., causedby wear, increased contamination, and/or the like). In someimplementations, degradation monitor 120 may identify the hot spot basedon sensor information including information indicative of a temperatureat or near the optical component 170 (e.g., sensor information providedby a temperature sensor, or a thermal camera). In some implementations,degradation monitor 120 may be configured to identify hot spots at ornear one or more of the set of optical components 170.

In some implementations, degradation monitor 120 may identify whether ahot spot exists based on determining whether a temperature at or near agiven location satisfies a temperature condition (e.g., whether atemperature at or near the given location satisfies a threshold) and,optionally, whether a size of the hot spot satisfies a size condition(e.g., whether a size of the hot spot satisfies a threshold), and mayselectively perform the monitoring action accordingly.

In some implementations, degradation of an optical component 170 may bedescribed by a degradation property in the form of an intensity ofscattered light at or near the optical component 170. Scattered light isanother example of a property indicative of a degradation experienced byan optical component 170. In some implementations, degradation monitor120 may determine the intensity of scattered light based on sensorinformation provided by a photodiode arranged at or near the opticalcomponent 170. In some implementations, degradation monitor 120 may beconfigured to determine an intensity of scattered light at or near oneor more of the set of optical components 170.

In some implementations, degradation monitor 120 may identify whetherthe intensity of scattered light satisfies a scattered light condition(e.g., whether the intensity of scattered light satisfies a threshold),and may selectively perform the monitoring action accordingly.

In some implementations, degradation of an optical component 170 may bedescribed by a degradation property in the form of an intensity ofstress at or near the optical component 170. Stress is another exampleof a property indicative of a degradation experienced by an opticalcomponent 170. In some implementations, degradation monitor 120 maydetermine the intensity of stress based on sensor information providedby a stress sensor arranged at or near the optical component 170. Insome implementations, degradation monitor 120 may be configured todetermine an intensity of stress at or near one or more of the set ofoptical components 170. In some implementations, degradation monitor 120may determine the intensity of stress using a polariscope technique. Insome implementations, degradation monitor 120 may determine theintensity of stress using a fiber optic or other strain sensor.

In some implementations, degradation monitor 120 may identify whetherthe intensity of stress satisfies a stress condition (e.g., whether theintensity of stress satisfies a threshold), and may selectively performthe monitoring action accordingly.

Environmental monitor 130 includes one or more components capable ofmonitoring an environment of optical device 160. In someimplementations, the environment of optical device 160 may be describedby an environmental property in the form of a temperature. In someimplementations, environmental monitor 130 may determine the temperature(e.g., a temperature at, near, or within optical device 160) based onsensor information provided by a temperature sensor arranged at or nearoptical device 160. In some implementations, environmental monitor 130may identify whether the temperature satisfies a temperature condition(e.g., whether the temperature satisfies a threshold), and mayselectively perform the monitoring action accordingly.

In some implementations, the environment of optical device 160 may bedescribed by an environmental property in the form of a relativehumidity. In some implementations, environmental monitor 130 maydetermine the relative humidity (e.g., a relative humidity at, near, orwithin optical device 160) based on sensor information provided by ahumidity sensor arranged at or near optical device 160. In someimplementations, environmental monitor 130 may identify whether theamount of humidity satisfies a humidity condition (e.g., whether therelative humidity satisfies a threshold), and may selectively performthe monitoring action accordingly.

Process monitor 140 is capable of monitoring a process in whichhigh-power fiber laser 150 is being used. In some implementations, theprocess associated with high-power fiber laser 150 may be monitoredbased on a process property in the form of an intensity ofback-reflected light. In some implementations, process monitor 140 maydetermine the intensity of back-reflected light (e.g., an optical powerof back-reflected light at an optical component 170) based on sensorinformation provided by a photodiode arranged at or near the particularoptical component 170. In some implementations, process monitor 140 mayidentify whether the intensity of back-reflected light satisfies aback-reflection condition (e.g., whether the optical power of theback-reflected light is less than or equal to a threshold), and mayselectively perform the monitoring action accordingly.

The number and arrangement of components shown and described in FIGS. 1Aand 1B are provided as examples. In practice, operational monitor 100,high-power fiber laser 150, and/or optical device 160 may includeadditional components, different components, differently arrangedcomponents, and/or the like, than those shown and described above.Additionally, or alternatively, a set of components (e.g., one or morecomponents) of operational monitor 100, high-power fiber laser 150,and/or optical device 160 may perform one or more functions described asbeing performed by another set of components of operational monitor 100,high-power fiber laser 150, and/or optical device 160, respectively.

FIGS. 2A-2D are diagrams of an example associated with operationalmonitoring when optical device 160 is a fiber optic beam combiner 200.As shown in FIG. 2A, fiber optic beam combiner 200 may include a set ofoptical components 170 comprising a group of input fibers 210, an inputfiber attachment component 220 (e.g., a glue, an epoxy, and/or thelike), a tapered waveguide 230, a splice 240, an output fiber attachmentcomponent 250 (e.g., a glue, an epoxy, and/or the like), an output fiber260, and a housing 270.

As indicated above, in some implementations, one or more of the set ofsensor components 180 can be positioned in an optimal or near-optimalposition order to enable reliable and accurate operational monitoring.FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate such positioning for fiber optic beamcombiner 200. More particularly, FIG. 2A illustrates approximate regions(identified by dotted lines) in which sensor components 180 can bepositioned, and FIG. 2B illustrates an association between these regionsand the monitoring functions that can be configured on operationalmonitor 100. The following examples associated with FIGS. 2A and 2Billustrate that one or more particular types of sensor may be positionedin a particular location in order to facilitate performance of aparticular operational monitoring function.

For example, in association with thermal slope linearity based healthmonitoring of tapered waveguide 230, sensor components 180 (e.g., atemperature sensor and a power monitor) can be positioned in or near theregion identified by reference number 232. As another example, inassociation with thermal slope linearity based health monitoring ofsplice 240, sensor components 180 (e.g., a temperature sensor and apower monitor) can be positioned in or near the region identified byreference number 242.

FIG. 2C is a graphical representation of example thermal slope linearityproperties of fiber optic beam combiner 200 on three different dates(e.g., date 1, date 2, and date 3). This example is provided toillustrate thermal slope linearity based health monitoring by healthmonitor 110 for fiber optic beam combiner 200 in the manner describedabove. As indicated in FIG. 2C, health monitor 110 may determine that aparticular optical component 170 (e.g., tapered waveguide 230, splice240) was healthy on a first date (e.g., that the temperature-opticalpower relationship was approximately linear on date 1). However, asfurther shown, health monitor 110 may determine that the particularoptical component 170 was not healthy on subsequent dates (e.g., thatthe temperature-optical power relationship was non-linear on date 2 andon date 3). In this example, operational monitor 100 may not perform amonitoring action on the first date, but may perform the monitoringaction on the second and/or third dates.

Returning to FIGS. 2A and 2B, as another example, in association withmonitoring health of the group of input fibers 210, one or more sensorcomponents 180 (e.g., one or more photodiodes) can be positioned in ornear the region identified by reference number 212. As another example,in association with monitoring health of output fiber 260, a sensorcomponent 180 (e.g., a photodiode) can be positioned in or near theregion identified by reference number 262.

As another example, in association with hot spot based degradationmonitoring of tapered waveguide 230, a sensor component 180 (e.g., acamera) can be positioned to capture imagery within or near the regionidentified by reference number 232. As another example, in associationwith hot spot based degradation monitoring of splice 240, a sensorcomponent 180 (e.g., a camera) can be positioned to capture imagerywithin or near the region identified by reference number 242. As anotherexample, in association with hot spot based degradation monitoring ofoutput fiber attachment component 250, a sensor component 180 (e.g., acamera) can be positioned to capture imagery within or near the regionidentified by reference number 252.

As another example, in association with scattered light baseddegradation monitoring of tapered waveguide 230, a sensor component 180(e.g., a photodiode) can be positioned in or near the region identifiedby reference numbers 252 (e.g., at or near output fiber attachmentcomponent 250). In some implementations, arranging the photodiode in ornear region 252 allows for improved degradation monitoring of opticaldevice 160. FIG. 2D is a graphical representation illustratingbefore-degradation and after-degradation power measurements at region242 (e.g., at or near splice 240) and region 252 (e.g., at or nearoutput fiber attachment component 250). As illustrated in FIG. 2D,degradation of optical device 160 may be more easily detected in or nearregion 252 (e.g., since the power change from before degradation toafter degradation is significant).

Returning to FIGS. 2A and 2B, as another example, in association withstress based degradation monitoring at output fiber attachment component250, a sensor component 180 (e.g., a stress sensor) can be positioned inor near the region identified by reference number 252.

As another example, in association with environmental monitoring offiber optic beam combiner 200, one or more sensor components 180 (e.g.,a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, and/or the like) can bepositioned in or near a region identified by reference number 272 (e.g.,within housing 270, on a wall of housing 270, and/or the like).

As another example, in association with process monitoring associatedwith a high-power fiber laser 150 that includes fiber optic beamcombiner 200, a sensor component 180 (e.g., a photodiode) can bepositioned in or near a region identified by reference number 222. Inthis example, positioning of the photodiode in or near region 222 allowsthe photodiode to measure back-reflection that occurs at input fiberattachment component 220 during performance of the process usinghigh-power fiber laser 150.

The number and arrangement of components shown and described in FIGS. 2Aand 2B are provided as examples. In practice, optical device 160 mayinclude additional components, different components, differentlyarranged components, differently sized components, components ofdifferent relative sizes, and/or the like, than those shown anddescribed above. Additionally, or alternatively, a set of components(e.g., one or more components) of optical device 160 may perform one ormore functions described as being performed by another set of componentsof optical device 160. Further, the regions identified in FIG. 2A areprovided as examples for illustrative purposes and, in practice, may bedifferently sized or oriented than shown in FIG. 1A. Additionally, thegraphical representations in FIGS. 2C and 2D are provided merely asexamples. Other examples may differ from what is described with regardto FIGS. 2C and 2D.

FIG. 3 is a diagram of example components of a device 300. Device 300may correspond to operational monitor 100. In some implementations,operational monitor 100 may include one or more devices 300 and/or oneor more components of device 300. As shown in FIG. 3, device 300 mayinclude a bus 310, a processor 320, a memory 330, a storage component340, an input component 350, an output component 360, and acommunication interface 370.

Bus 310 includes a component that permits communication among multiplecomponents of device 300. Processor 320 is implemented in hardware,firmware, and/or a combination of hardware and software. Processor 320is a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), anaccelerated processing unit (APU), a microprocessor, a microcontroller,a digital signal processor (DSP), a field-programmable gate array(FPGA), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or anothertype of processing component. In some implementations, processor 320includes one or more processors capable of being programmed to perform afunction. Memory 330 includes a random access memory (RANI), a read onlymemory (ROM), and/or another type of dynamic or static storage device(e.g., a flash memory, a magnetic memory, and/or an optical memory) thatstores information and/or instructions for use by processor 320.

Storage component 340 stores information and/or software related to theoperation and use of device 300. For example, storage component 340 mayinclude a hard disk (e.g., a magnetic disk, an optical disk, and/or amagneto-optic disk), a solid state drive (SSD), a compact disc (CD), adigital versatile disc (DVD), a floppy disk, a cartridge, a magnetictape, and/or another type of non-transitory computer-readable medium,along with a corresponding drive.

Input component 350 includes a component that permits device 300 toreceive information, such as via user input (e.g., a touch screendisplay, a keyboard, a keypad, a mouse, a button, a switch, and/or amicrophone). Additionally, or alternatively, input component 350 mayinclude a component for determining location (e.g., a global positioningsystem (GPS) component) and/or a sensor (e.g., an accelerometer, agyroscope, an actuator, another type of positional or environmentalsensor, and/or the like). Output component 360 includes a component thatprovides output information from device 300 (via, e.g., a display, aspeaker, a haptic feedback component, an audio or visual indicator,and/or the like).

Communication interface 370 includes a transceiver-like component (e.g.,a transceiver, a separate receiver, a separate transmitter, and/or thelike) that enables device 300 to communicate with other devices, such asvia a wired connection, a wireless connection, or a combination of wiredand wireless connections. Communication interface 370 may permit device300 to receive information from another device and/or provideinformation to another device. For example, communication interface 370may include an Ethernet interface, an optical interface, a coaxialinterface, an infrared interface, a radio frequency (RF) interface, auniversal serial bus (USB) interface, a Wi-Fi interface, a cellularnetwork interface, and/or the like.

Device 300 may perform one or more processes described herein. Device300 may perform these processes based on processor 320 executingsoftware instructions stored by a non-transitory computer-readablemedium, such as memory 330 and/or storage component 340. As used herein,the term “computer-readable medium” refers to a non-transitory memorydevice. A memory device includes memory space within a single physicalstorage device or memory space spread across multiple physical storagedevices.

Software instructions may be read into memory 330 and/or storagecomponent 340 from another computer-readable medium or from anotherdevice via communication interface 370. When executed, softwareinstructions stored in memory 330 and/or storage component 340 may causeprocessor 320 to perform one or more processes described herein.Additionally, or alternatively, hardware circuitry may be used in placeof or in combination with software instructions to perform one or moreprocesses described herein. Thus, implementations described herein arenot limited to any specific combination of hardware circuitry andsoftware.

The number and arrangement of components shown in FIG. 3 are provided asan example. In practice, device 300 may include additional components,fewer components, different components, or differently arrangedcomponents than those shown in FIG. 3. Additionally, or alternatively, aset of components (e.g., one or more components) of device 300 mayperform one or more functions described as being performed by anotherset of components of device 300.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of an example process 400 for performingoperational monitoring of optical device included in a high-power fiberlaser. In some implementations, one or more process blocks of FIG. 4 maybe performed by a monitoring device (e.g., operational monitor 100).

As shown in FIG. 4, process 400 may include receiving sensor informationassociated with an optical device included in a high-power fiber laser(block 410). For example, the monitoring device (e.g., using processor320, input component 350, communication interface 370, and/or the like)may receive sensor information associated with an optical device (e.g.,optical device 160) included in a high-power fiber laser, as describedherein. In some implementations, the sensor information is received froma set of sensors associated with the optical device (e.g., sensorcomponents 180), as described herein.

As further shown in FIG. 4, process 400 may include determining, basedon the sensor information, a set of operational properties of theoptical device (block 420). For example, the monitoring device (e.g.,using processor 320, memory 330, storage component 340, and/or the like)may determine, based on the sensor information, a set of operationalproperties of the optical device, as described herein. In someimplementations, the set of operational properties includes at least oneof: a health property that describes a health of one or more componentsof the optical device, a degradation property that describes degradationof one or more components of the optical device, an environmentalproperty that describes an environment of the optical device, and/or aprocess property associated with a process in which the optical deviceis being used, as described herein.

As further shown in FIG. 4, process 400 may include identifying whetheran operational property, of the set of operational properties, satisfiesa condition (block 430). For example, the monitoring device (e.g., usingprocessor 320, memory 330, storage component 340, and/or the like) mayidentify whether an operational property, of the set of operationalproperties, satisfies a condition, as described herein.

As further shown in FIG. 4, process 400 may include selectivelyperforming a monitoring action based on whether the operational propertysatisfies the condition (block 440). For example, the monitoring device(e.g., using processor 320, memory 330, storage component 340, outputcomponent 360, communication interface 370, and/or the like) mayselectively perform a monitoring action based on whether the operationalproperty satisfies the condition, as described herein.

Process 400 may include additional implementations, such as any singleimplementation or any combination of implementations described belowand/or in connection with one or more other processes describedelsewhere herein.

In some implementations, when the operational property satisfies thecondition, selectively performing the monitoring action comprisesproviding an error code indicating that the operational propertysatisfies the condition.

In some implementations, when the operational property satisfies thecondition, selectively performing the monitoring action comprisescausing another optical device to be powered off, the optical devicebeing included in the other optical device.

In some implementations, the optical device is a fiber optic beamcombiner.

In some implementations, when the set of operational properties includesthe health property, the set of sensors includes a temperature sensor tomeasure a temperature at or near one or more components of the opticaldevice, a power monitor arranged to measure optical power associatedwith the optical device, and/or a photodiode arranged to measurescattered light at or near one or more components of the optical device.

In some implementations, when the set of operational properties includesthe degradation property, the set of sensors includes a temperaturesensor to measure a temperature at or near one or more components of theoptical device, a photodiode arranged to measure scattered light at ornear one or more components of the optical device, a stress sensorarranged to measure stress at or near one or more components of theoptical device, and/or a camera arranged to identify hot spots at ornear one or more components of the optical device.

In some implementations, when the set of operational properties includesthe environmental property, the set of sensors includes a temperaturesensor to measure a temperature at or near one or more components of theoptical device, and/or a humidity sensor arranged to measure humidity ator near one or more components of the optical device.

In some implementations, when the set of operational properties includesthe process property, the set of sensors includes a photodiode arrangedto measure back-reflected light propagating through the optical device,wherein the photodiode is positioned at an attachment component of anoutput fiber of the optical device.

In some implementations, the monitoring device may identify a set ofmonitoring functions, of a plurality of monitoring functions, to beperformed by the monitoring device. Here, when determining the set ofoperational properties of the optical device, the monitoring device maydetermine the set of operational properties based on the identified setof monitoring functions.

Although FIG. 4 shows example blocks of process 400, in someimplementations, process 400 may include additional blocks, fewerblocks, different blocks, or differently arranged blocks than thosedepicted in FIG. 4. Additionally, or alternatively, two or more of theblocks of process 400 may be performed in parallel.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart of an example process 500 for performingoperational monitoring of optical device included in a high-power fiberlaser. In some implementations, one or more process blocks of FIG. 5 maybe performed by a monitoring device (e.g., operational monitor 100).

As shown in FIG. 5, process 500 may include identifying a set ofmonitoring functions, of a plurality of monitoring functions, to beperformed by the monitoring device in association with monitoring anoptical device included in a high-power fiber laser (block 510). Forexample, the monitoring device (e.g., using processor 320, memory 330,storage component 340, input component 350, communication interface 370,and/or the like) may identify a set of monitoring functions, of aplurality of monitoring functions, to be performed by the monitoringdevice in association with monitoring an optical device (e.g., opticaldevice 160) included in a high-power fiber laser, as described herein.

In some implementations, the set of monitoring functions includes atleast one of a health monitoring function associated with monitoring ahealth of one of more components of the optical device, a degradationmonitoring function associated with monitoring degradation of one ormore components of the optical device, an environmental monitoringfunction associated with monitoring an environment of the opticaldevice, or a process monitoring function associated with monitoring aprocess in which the optical device is operating.

As further shown in FIG. 5, process 500 may include determining at leastone set of operational properties of the optical device, each of the atleast one set of operational properties being associated with arespective one of the identified set of monitoring functions (block520). For example, the monitoring device (e.g., using processor 320,memory 330, storage component 340, and/or the like) may determine atleast one set of operational properties of the optical device, each ofthe at least on set of operational properties being associated with arespective one of the identified set of monitoring functions, asdescribed herein.

In some implementations, the at least one set of operational propertiesis determined based on sensor information, associated with the opticaldevice, that is received from a set of sensors (e.g., sensor components180) during operation of the optical device.

As further shown in FIG. 5, process 500 may include selectivelyperforming a monitoring action based on the at least one set ofoperational properties (block 530). For example, the monitoring device(e.g., using processor 320, memory 330, storage component 340, outputcomponent 360, communication interface 370, and/or the like) mayselectively perform a monitoring action based on the at least one set ofoperational properties, as described herein.

Process 500 may include additional implementations, such as any singleimplementation or any combination of implementations described belowand/or in connection with one or more other processes describedelsewhere herein.

In some implementations, the monitoring action includes at least one ofproviding an error code associated with at least one of the identifiedset of monitoring functions, or causing another optical device to bepowered off, the optical device being included in the other opticaldevice.

In some implementations, the optical device is a fiber optic beamcombiner.

In some implementations, the set of sensors includes a temperaturesensor to measure a temperature at or near one or more components of theoptical device; a power monitor arranged to measure optical powerassociated with the optical device; a photodiode arranged to measurescattered light at or near one or more components of the optical device;a stress sensor arranged to measure stress at or near one or morecomponents of the optical device; a camera arranged to identify hotspots at or near one or more components of the optical device; ahumidity sensor arranged to measure humidity at or near one or morecomponents of the optical device; or a photodiode arranged to measureback-reflected light propagating through the optical device.

In some implementations, the set of sensors includes a photodiodearranged to measure back-reflected light propagating through the opticaldevice, wherein the photodiode is positioned at an attachment componentof an output fiber of the optical device.

Although FIG. 5 shows example blocks of process 500, in someimplementations, process 500 may include additional blocks, fewerblocks, different blocks, or differently arranged blocks than thosedepicted in FIG. 5. Additionally, or alternatively, two or more of theblocks of process 500 may be performed in parallel.

Some implementations described herein provide an operational monitor 100capable of performing one or more monitoring functions in associationwith monitoring optical device 160 included in high-power fiber laser150. In some implementations, the one or more monitoring functions caninclude a health monitoring function performed by health monitor 110, adegradation monitoring function performed by degradation monitor 120, anenvironmental monitoring function performed by environmental monitor130, and/or a process monitoring function performed by process monitor140, as described above.

The foregoing disclosure provides illustration and description, but isnot intended to be exhaustive or to limit the implementations to theprecise forms disclosed. Modifications and variations may be made inlight of the above disclosure or may be acquired from practice of theimplementations.

As used herein, the term “component” is intended to be broadly construedas hardware, firmware, and/or a combination of hardware and software.

Some implementations are described herein in connection with thresholds.As used herein, satisfying a threshold may, depending on the context,refer to a value being greater than the threshold, more than thethreshold, higher than the threshold, greater than or equal to thethreshold, less than the threshold, fewer than the threshold, lower thanthe threshold, less than or equal to the threshold, equal to thethreshold, or the like.

It will be apparent that systems and/or methods described herein may beimplemented in different forms of hardware, firmware, or a combinationof hardware and software. The actual specialized control hardware orsoftware code used to implement these systems and/or methods is notlimiting of the implementations. Thus, the operation and behavior of thesystems and/or methods are described herein without reference tospecific software code—it being understood that software and hardwarecan be designed to implement the systems and/or methods based on thedescription herein.

Even though particular combinations of features are recited in theclaims and/or disclosed in the specification, these combinations are notintended to limit the disclosure of various implementations. In fact,many of these features may be combined in ways not specifically recitedin the claims and/or disclosed in the specification. Although eachdependent claim listed below may directly depend on only one claim, thedisclosure of various implementations includes each dependent claim incombination with every other claim in the claim set.

No element, act, or instruction used herein should be construed ascritical or essential unless explicitly described as such. Also, as usedherein, the articles “a” and “an” are intended to include one or moreitems, and may be used interchangeably with “one or more.” Furthermore,as used herein, the term “set” is intended to include one or more items(e.g., related items, unrelated items, a combination of related andunrelated items, etc.), and may be used interchangeably with “one ormore.” Where only one item is intended, the phrase “only one” or similarlanguage is used. Also, as used herein, the terms “has,” “have,”“having,” or the like are intended to be open-ended terms. Further, thephrase “based on” is intended to mean “based, at least in part, on”unless explicitly stated otherwise.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method, comprising: receiving, by a monitoringdevice, sensor information associated with an optical device included ina high-power fiber laser, wherein the sensor information is receivedfrom a set of sensors associated with the optical device; determining,by the monitoring device and based on the sensor information, a set ofoperational properties of the optical device, wherein the set ofoperational properties includes at least one of: a health property thatdescribes a health of one or more components of the optical device, adegradation property that describes degradation of one or morecomponents of the optical device, an environmental property thatdescribes an environment of the optical device, or a process propertyassociated with a process in which the optical device is being used;identifying, by the monitoring device, whether an operational property,of the set of operational properties, satisfies a condition; andselectively performing, by the monitoring device, a monitoring actionbased on whether the operational property satisfies the condition. 2.The method of claim 1, wherein, when the operational property satisfiesthe condition, selectively performing the monitoring action comprises:providing an error code indicating that the operational propertysatisfies the condition.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein, when theoperational property satisfies the condition, selectively performing themonitoring action comprises: causing another optical device to bepowered off, the optical device being included in the other opticaldevice.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the optical device is a fiberoptic beam combiner.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein, when the set ofoperational properties includes the health property, the set of sensorsincludes: a temperature sensor to measure a temperature at or near oneor more components of the optical device and a power monitor arranged tomeasure optical power associated with the optical device; or aphotodiode arranged to measure scattered light at or near one or morecomponents of the optical device.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein,when the set of operational properties includes the degradationproperty, the set of sensors includes: a temperature sensor to measure atemperature at or near one or more components of the optical device; aphotodiode arranged to measure scattered light at or near one or morecomponents of the optical device; a stress sensor arranged to measurestress at or near one or more components of the optical device; or acamera arranged to identify hot spots at or near one or more componentsof the optical device.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein, when the setof operational properties includes the environmental property, the setof sensors includes: a temperature sensor to measure a temperature at ornear one or more components of the optical device; or a humidity sensorarranged to measure humidity at or near one or more components of theoptical device.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein, when the set ofoperational properties includes the process property, the set of sensorsincludes: a photodiode arranged to measure back-reflected lightpropagating through the optical device, wherein the photodiode ispositioned at an attachment component of an output fiber of the opticaldevice.
 9. The method of claim 1, further comprising: identifying a setof monitoring functions, of a plurality of monitoring functions, to beperformed by the monitoring device; and wherein determining the set ofoperational properties of the optical device comprises: determining theset of operational properties based on the identified set of monitoringfunctions.
 10. A monitoring device, comprising: one or more processorsto: receive sensor information associated with an optical deviceincluded in a high-power fiber laser, wherein the sensor information isreceived from a set of sensors associated with the optical device;determine, based on the sensor information, a set of operationalproperties of the optical device, wherein the set of operationalproperties includes at least one of: a health property that describes ahealth of one of more components of the optical device, a degradationproperty that describes degradation of one or more components of theoptical device, an environmental property that describes an environmentof the optical device, or a process property associated with a processin which the optical device is being used; identify whether anoperational property, of the set of operational properties, satisfies acondition; and selectively perform a monitoring action based on whetherthe operational property satisfies the condition.
 11. The monitoringdevice of claim 10, wherein, when the operational property satisfies thecondition, the one or more processors, when selectively performing themonitoring action, are to: provide an error code indicating that theoperational property satisfies the condition.
 12. The monitoring deviceof claim 10, wherein, when the operational property satisfies thecondition, the one or more processors, when selectively performing themonitoring action, are to at least one of: cause another optical deviceto be powered off, wherein the optical device is included in the otheroptical device; or cause a power level of the other optical device to beadjusted.
 13. The monitoring device of claim 10, wherein the opticaldevice is a fiber optic beam combiner.
 14. The monitoring device ofclaim 10, wherein the set of sensors includes: a temperature sensor tomeasure a temperature at or near one or more components of the opticaldevice; a power monitor arranged to measure optical power associatedwith the optical device; a photodiode arranged to measure scatteredlight at or near one or more components of the optical device; a stresssensor arranged to measure stress at or near one or more components ofthe optical device; a camera arranged to identify hot spots at or nearone or more components of the optical device; a humidity sensor arrangedto measure humidity at or near one or more components of the opticaldevice; or a photodiode arranged to measure back-reflected lightpropagating through the optical device.
 15. The monitoring device ofclaim 10, wherein the one or more processors are further to: identify aset of monitoring functions, of a plurality of monitoring functions, tobe performed by the monitoring device; and wherein the one or moreprocessors, when determining the set of operational properties of theoptical device, are to: determine the set of operational propertiesbased on the identified set of monitoring functions.
 16. A method,comprising: identifying, by a monitoring device, a set of monitoringfunctions, of a plurality of monitoring functions, to be performed bythe monitoring device in association with monitoring an optical deviceincluded in a high-power fiber laser, wherein the set of monitoringfunctions includes at least one of: a health monitoring functionassociated with monitoring a health of one of more components of theoptical device, a degradation monitoring function associated withmonitoring degradation of one or more components of the optical device,an environmental monitoring function associated with monitoring anenvironment of the optical device, or a process monitoring functionassociated with monitoring a process in which the optical device isoperating; determining, by the monitoring device, at least one set ofoperational properties of the optical device, each of the at least onset of operational properties being associated with a respective one ofthe identified set of monitoring functions, wherein the at least one setof operational properties is determined based on sensor information,associated with the optical device, that is received from a set ofsensors during operation of the optical device; and selectivelyperforming, by the monitoring device, a monitoring action based on theat least one set of operational properties.
 17. The method of claim 16,wherein the monitoring action includes at least one of: providing anerror code associated with at least one of the identified set ofmonitoring functions; or causing another optical device to be poweredoff, the optical device being included in the other optical device. 18.The method of claim 16, wherein the optical device is a fiber optic beamcombiner.
 19. The method of claim 16, wherein the set of sensorsincludes: a temperature sensor to measure a temperature at or near oneor more components of the optical device; a power monitor arranged tomeasure optical power associated with the optical device; a photodiodearranged to measure scattered light at or near one or more components ofthe optical device; a stress sensor arranged to measure stress at ornear one or more components of the optical device; a camera arranged toidentify hot spots at or near one or more components of the opticaldevice; a humidity sensor arranged to measure humidity at or near one ormore components of the optical device; or a photodiode arranged tomeasure back-reflected light propagating through the optical device. 20.The method of claim 16, wherein the set of sensors includes a photodiodearranged to measure back-reflected light propagating through the opticaldevice, wherein the photodiode is positioned at an attachment componentof an output fiber of the optical device.